Because I Love You
by Erudit
Summary: When Yugi is just trying to accept having lost the most important person in his life, this very person returns to him, and the entire gang must face and solve new riddles: their own emotions. eventually YY, SJ
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Because I Love You**

**Author:** Erudit

**Pairings:** YY/Y; S/J, M/M and R/B mentioned

**Genre: **Romance

**Warnings: **Shonen ai (That means male/male content!), Tea bashing, Spoilers

I've never seen the last episodes myself. I've just read about it. They have not shown them yet in my country. So please excuse some OOCness. This is just a story, after all. If you find mistakes, feel free to tell me, so I can change it or at least know it for my next stories.

**Rating:** T (I might have to upgrade it, though)

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, then the story surely wouldn't have ended with Atemu leaving.

**Intro:** Set directly after the Ceremonial battle. Atemu has left for the Afterlife.

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_Blablabla_- Thoughts

/blablabla/- Yami and Yugi talking through mind link

"blablabla"- normal talking

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**Yugi's Pov**

He couldn't believe that that was how it had ended. Atemu had left him to finally rest in peace.

_He didn't even turn around. He didn't even say Good-bye. Was he that happy to leave me? _Yugi was staring at the spot his yami had still been at just a few minutes ago. Nobody was there anymore. Atemu had just waved Good-bye, turned around, and vanished into nothingness. He hadn't said anything about him losing the duel. Yugi had always expected Atemu to say some final words to him, some kind of encouragement or praise. But he had said nothing at all.

Yugi's friends were standing right next to him, waiting for him to say or do something. He could hear Tea's strangled sobs. The girl probably hated him for winning that duel. She had been in love with his yami after all.

"Yug, let's go back to the hotel, man." Joey tried to lead him away but he couldn't leave yet. He had to understand that Atemu had really left, that the other half of his soul was forever lost to him. That the one person he had loved more than anything else was gone. He would have broken down and have cried himself if he hadn't promised his dark half to not do so. He wanted to be strong; he wanted to show Atemu that he really could be alone. Otherwise his other half might want to return, and Atemu deserved resting in peace. The spirit had had to do and see so many things. He needed to rest. Yugi didn't want to pull his yami from all that.

"I would like to be alone for a few minutes." He told his friends. He couldn't bare hearing Tea sob right next to him. He couldn't bare how Ryou kept glancing at him; how Joey tried to keep him from pain. This was something he had to deal with on his own. They needed to understand that nobody could suffer for him.

"Okay, buddy." Joey nodded, and he and Tristan dragged Tea away back to their hotel. The others followed.

Finally, he was alone. He sagged down to the ground, not caring if he got sand everywhere. Tears started to gather at his eyes, and he felt his silent promise to Atemu be broken. At least he was alone now and nobody would see him cry.

He continued to stare at the empty spot that had once been his yami. Of course, he hadn't wanted to always have to duel somebody. Of course, he always had been in mortal danger. But he would have accepted these terms immediately if it had meant that Atemu could come back to him. "Yami" Yugi whispered between sobs. He could barely make out his surroundings. His view was hazy because of his tears. Not that he cared. Nothing mattered anymore now that his most beloved person had left. Not that he had ever told Atemu about his feelings. The pharaoh surely wouldn't have left if he had known.

Yugi didn't know how long he had been sitting in the sand, looking like an embodiment of sadness. He just knew that his throat hurt, and that he couldn't cry anymore. All his tears were spilt. He was exhausted from all his crying, and just wanted to curl up and sleep. He really was an epitome of misery right at that moment.

It was then that he began to see strange mists swirling around him. _Great. Now I'm going insane. _Yugi blinked, hoping to clear his eyes but his entire surroundings seemed to be dipped in orange and purple. He could see the winds spin around him; they were roughly tugging at his clothes, efficiently getting sand into his underwear. He was aware that he should have ducked or shielded himself but he couldn't move a muscle. He was petrified. _What's going on? _Yugi kept looking around frantically. He had seen enough things to know that somebody had to be responsible for these strange happenings.

Yugi had just given up looking around for the one doing these things, when he could suddenly make out a person standing just a few feet from him, exactly on the same spot his yami had been in just a few hours ago. The winds were still tugging at his clothes but they seemed to die down. The person had commanded these happenings to stop. But who was it? He could make out spiky hair, similar to his own. Could it be? His heart started beating faster. He wanted it to be true. Could Atemu really have wanted to come back to him? The winds died down completely, leaving an almost eerie calm. He slowly rose to his feet; his eyes squinted in an effort to identify the person in front of him.

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**I originally wanted to end it here. Those of you who have read my stories know of my liking for evil cliffies. But I'll keep going for those who have read and reviewed my other stories, in hopes that they read this as well.**

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The person seemed to be standing still, waiting for something. Yugi, too, didn't dare to move. He was afraid that the person would vanish as soon as he stepped forward. _Can it really be that Yami came back? _The smaller of the two figures hesitantly stepped closer. The sand was still flying through the air on its way to the ground, making it impossible to see clearly. He waved his hands in front of his face annoyed, hoping to clear the sight. He could make out more and more of the person standing just a few feet away from him. It was a he; that Yugi could be sure of though he didn't really know why. Then, he could recognize white linen clothes. They were in the style the old Egyptians wore. Yami had worn an outfit just like that when he had left.

Yugi had been looking at the clothes so intense that he had failed to notice that the sight had become clear again. So, when he looked up, there was nothing to hide the person from him anymore. His eyes widened. "A-atemu?"

The ex-pharaoh smiled, and nodded softly. "Aibou."

_It's really him! It's really him! It's really him! _Yugi's mind yelled, though Yugi himself didn't say anything. He stared at his other half, disbelievingly. Atemu really wore the same clothes he had worn when he had left. _We'll have to go shopping. They won't let him come back to Japan wearing those_, he subconsciously noted, though Yugi wasn't even sure if Yami wanted to come back to Japan. Why had he returned?

"You, you came back." He stuttered finally. The past few hours he had hoped for the seemingly impossible to happen, and now that it had happened it seamed like a dream to him. Yami had no reasons to return to him.

"Yes, indeed." The pharaoh stated, his voice soft and full of laughter. Yugi hadn't seen the pharaoh this happy in a long time. "Would you rather have me leave again?" Crimson eyes looked at Yugi intensely, anxious of the little one's answer.

"Don't be silly, of course not!" Yugi yelled, filled with a happiness that he wasn't able to explain. He didn't know if he had run to Yami, or his dark half to him, but suddenly they were standing in front of each other, and Yugi hugged his pharaoh. Or maybe Yami had hugged him. He couldn't be exactly sure. All he knew was that he was laughing like silly, tears of relief running down his face. He felt Yami sigh.

"I can see that you don't mind me having returned." A rich chuckle resounded in Yugi's ears. His dark's voice was beautiful. Well, actually his Yami was gorgeous from hair to toes, but the voice alone had the power to do Yugi in. He couldn't believe that he almost had lost any chance to ever hear Yami's beautiful voice again.

"What made you think I wouldn't want you to come back?" Yugi wondered softly. Yami usually was quite self-assured. He never hesitated because of or feared anything. The ex-pharaoh ignored the question, not wanting to answer. They were quiet for several minutes, enjoying each other's company.

"So, you'll stay?" Yugi finally wanted to know.

"I would like to." Again, his Yami was unusually hesitating.

"You'll really stay?" Yugi asked again, wanting to be sure he had not misunderstood his dark half. He could already feel Yami chuckle again. The ex-pharaoh had seemingly forgotten his own uncertainty. "Yes. I will."

Yugi looked up, and his eyes met those of his Yami. _Beautiful crimson_, he thought. Then he nodded. "I'm glad." He stated.

The ex-pharaoh smiled one of his rare smiles. "Good." Then, he looked around for something. "Where are your friends?"

"Hmm?" Yugi looked around again, for a moment not understanding the question in his elation of having his Yami close by. "Oh! They already went back to the hotel. I told them I wanted to be alone." He explained.

"They already went back? Surely I haven't been gone that long. It can only have been a few minutes, ten the most." Yami looked confused.

"Ten minutes!" Yugi laughed. "You've been gone for at least two hours!"

"Oh." The pharaoh seemed surprised. "Time must be going slower in the After-Life."

"So, you've been to the After Life? Yugi asked interested.

"Of course." Yami nodded. "I didn't like it though. I rather spend my time here with you."

"And they let you go just like that?" Yugi was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected things to go that easily in the After Life. _Yami hasn't had to do a trial or anything? They must respect him a lot._

"Of course." The ex-pharaoh stated, though Yugi got the feeling Yami wasn't quite telling him everything. _So, there is a reason to him having come back. Another mission to safe the world? _Well, he had said he would accept being in mortal danger just to have his Yami back. He would help his dark half as well as he was able to. But on the other hand…if he didn't help Yami, the pharaoh would have to stay longer.

"We should go back to the hotel then, too. It is going to get dark soon if it is as late as you have assumed. And then it will get cold as well. I do not want you to freeze." Yami's rich voice toyed with his ears again, sending shivers down the spine.

The ex-pharaoh looked at the little one worriedly. "You are not cold already, are you, aibou?"

Yugi blushed and shook his head, hurriedly looking away from his yami. "No, no. Of course not."

"Good. Then, let's go!"

Yugi grinned at Yami's use of modern words. "Great! I can't wait to tell the others about your return. They'll be delighted!" _Especially Tea_, his mind dryly supplied.

**- To be continued -**

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Please review. I'll continue (as always) as soon as I see that some of you are interested.

Tell me if you would rather have me continue this story from this point on (they'll meet Tea, Seto, and the others) or if you want to know how Yami was able to return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Because I Love You – Chapter 2**

**Author:** Erudit

**Warnings: **Shonen ai (That means male/male content!), maybe Tea bashing

Erudit: I'm so happy, I've got reviews! .

Thank You!

glomps her reviewers

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_Blablabla_- Thoughts and memories

/blablabla/- Yami and Yugi talking through mind link

"blablabla"- normal talking

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**Yami's Pov**

"Why have you returned?" Yugi asked curiously, as they began to walk in the direction of the hotel. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you've returned, really." He hurriedly added, as he looked at the ex-pharaoh. "But wouldn't it have been nice to stay with your old friends, and your father. You must have missed them." Yugi's head was tilted in a cute fashion as he observed the ancient king for any kind of reaction.

Yami chuckled kindly, as he turned to fully face Yugi. "Most of the time I didn't remember them, aibou."

"Yes, I know." Yugi sighed, annoyed. "That's not what I meant."

Yami nodded. "Indeed, it is not. I saw them right before I returned to you. They still look the same." _He could still see their faces in front of him. When he had entered the afterlife, they had all been there, right next to his father, waiting for him. They had all been so happy to see him when he had been so angry and most of all sad. He hadn't wanted to lose the duel. He hadn't been able to understand why he had lost. So many things had depended on him winning the duel, and he had lost. Yugi had won, and he had had to leave Yugi forever, so it seemed at first._

"I'm sorry." Yugi interrupted his thoughts almost inaudibly. "I didn't mean to make you sad. It must have been a difficult decision to leave them. The gods didn't ask you to rescue the world again, did they?" Yugi looked at Atemu alarmed, his amethyst eyes wide with worry.

Yami shook his head. "No, of course not. I came here at my own free will." _In fact, it had been him who had begged the gods to be allowed to return to his hikari, and not the other way around. It hadn't been a difficult decision, either. From the moment he had realized he had lost the duel, he hadn't been able to think about anything else than trying to return to his little light._

"You worry too much, little one." Yami put his hand around the shoulder of his hikari, and pulled him closer. "There is no catch to my returning."

"Really?" the hikari beamed up at the ex-pharaoh, his cheeks tinted faintly red. "I'm glad." He sighed relieved, as he let himself relax in Yami's embrace.

They walked in silence as Yami's thoughts returned to the few moments he had spent in the afterlife. _He remembered leaving Yugi. He had wanted to say something, anything to his aibou, maybe even confess his entire feelings concerning Yugi, but he hadn't been able to. He had known he'd burst into tears as soon as he would have tried to say anything to Yugi, and he had desperately tried to be strong. They had promised themselves that they would not cry, after all. He wanted to keep this last promise to his precious little light. _

_His father and his former high priests had welcomed him at the gate to the after life. He had tried to smile, though he had probably failed miserably. He had passed them, still trying to be strong, and knowing he would turn around and run back to his light as soon as he stopped walking. They had followed immediately, without asking any questions as if they already knew what bothered him. They had kept walking for quite some time, Yami remembered. He had not stopped until his father had put his hand on Yami's shoulder, stopping the younger ex-pharaoh from continuing his futile wanderings. Yami had turned around, suddenly feeling angry for having to stop. Nobody was allowed to stop him! He had just wanted to yell at his father with some unknown rage, as a hand rose and softly wiped off some of his tears._

"Yami?" The ex-pharaoh was once again broken out of his reminiscent phase by a beautiful bell-like voice.

"Yes, little one?" Crimson eyes focused on the smaller hikari.

"We'll have to buy you some clothes." Yugi giggled adorably, as he tugged at Yami's garments. "You can't walk around dressed like this. Besides, you'll get a cold in no time if you are dressed like this back in Japan." Bright lilac eyes glittered in the setting sun, as Yugi examined the fabric. "It's winter now, remember? And my clothes won't fit you." A pout rose to Yugi's lips.

"We can go shopping tomorrow." The ex-pharaoh agreed, resisting the urge to kiss his little light. Why did Yugi have to be so beautiful?

Yugi nodded enthusiastically. Then, his face suddenly fell.

"What is it, little one?" Yami asked worriedly, as he bent closer to Yugi.

The younger one blinked at the sudden closeness, and then hastily turned away as another blush rose to his cheeks. "It's nothing." He said almost immediately.

Yami didn't believe him but decided not to say anything. Yugi would tell him, once he was ready. They walked in silence for a few minutes. Yami thought back to his talk with his father. _He remembered that all his anger had vanished the second he had realized he had been crying. He had been quite surprised at the fact himself. He hardly ever cried. In fact, the last time he could clearly remember having cried was when Yugi had been taken by the Orichalchos-seal. His own hand had risen to his cheeks, having the sudden need to feel the wetness himself. He had been quite disappointed that he had broken his promise to Yugi. _

"_Why?" was all that his father had asked, and he hadn't needed to ask anything else, as Yami had been so keen on telling somebody about his misery. He had told them everything that had happened to him and Yugi; he had especially told them about his feelings concerning his aibou. _

"_I love him." Yami had stated, as his legs had given way and he had fallen to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. It was as if a dam had been opened. He hadn't seemed able to stop crying now that he had started. "I love him more than anything else."_

"_Yes, I thought so." His father had stated softly, as he had knelt down next to his son. "There is always hope, Atemu, don't forget that."_

"_Hope?" The younger ex-pharaoh had looked up. "You mean there is a way to return?" He had glanced at his former friends. They had been standing around the two of them, as if trying to shelter them from any harm. They had been smiling at him, nodding softly._

"Do you want to go shopping with the entire gang?" Yugi suddenly wanted to know, and Yami was quite sure that question had something to do with Yugi's sudden change of mood just a few minutes before.

"If you want them to accompany us, they can." Yami conceded, thinking his little light wanted to go together with his friends. If it were up to him, though, he'd rather go with Yugi alone. There was hardly a time when it was just the two of them.

Yugi nodded, lost in thought. "But you don't necessarily need them?" he added hopefully.

Yami frowned. "You don't want them to come along?" He was quite surprised. Yugi usually always wanted all of his friends around. His heart leaped at the thought that Yugi could want to spend his time solely with him.

"Not really. I would like to spend some time alone with you." Yugi admitted softly and turned away, as if being afraid of Yami's reaction. The ex-pharaoh's hand fell from Yugi's shoulder at the action.

Yami would have very much liked to put his hand around Yugi once again but refrained from doing so. He smiled at Yugi's admittance. The little one didn't know how happy that made him. He had always feared he was just one of Yugi's many friends, which was something he really didn't want to be. He wanted Yugi to feel the same for him as he felt for Yugi. "Fine. Then, we'll spend the day together, just the two of us. Alright, aibou?"

"Good." Yugi smiled one of his rare bright smiles, as he turned back to gaze at Yami, and grabbed the ex-pharaoh's hand softly. They continued walking hand in hand.

"We're almost there." Yugi told him. "Can you see that big building with the blue rooftop? That's the hotel we're staying in."

It only took them a few more minutes to reach their final destination. A broad, white street, surrounded by palm trees, led them right up to the golden front gate of the hotel. Together, they entered the gigantic building. Yugi began looking around for his friends immediately. They could faintly make out Tea's voice from one of the adjoined rooms. She seemed to be yelling about something. Yugi winced, fearing it was because of him. Yami automatically stepped closer to Yugi. He didn't like his aibou to be distressed.

"Let's go join them, aibou." Yami said, and put his hand once again on the now familiar spot on Yugi's shoulder. The little one giggled at how he sounded using modern words, as Yami had expected. He actually just said words like those to hear Yugi's beautiful laugh.

"Why don't you wait out here, Yami?" Yugi suggested, looking at Yami with mischief sparkling in his eyes. "I'd like to surprise them."

Yami nodded, and went to lean against the wall right next to the door. "Go ahead, aibou. Just come and get me once you're ready."

"Thank you, Yami-chan!" Yugi hugged the surprised ex-pharaoh, then hurriedly left the room to join his friends and tell them of the good news. Yami closed his eyes, and concentrated on the mind link, as a soft blush spread over his face. _H-he hugged me._

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/You can come in now, Atemu-kun./ Yugi was peering around the corner, looking straight at the ex-pharaoh.

/You don't need to call me by my birth name, aibou. That's in the past now. I chose to become your yami again when I returned, little one./ Atemu stated softly. To tell the truth, his name sounded out-of-place when coming out of Yugi's mouth. He was used to Yugi calling him Yami, and he really wanted Yugi to keep doing so.

/Ok./ Yugi smiled at him, then motioned him over. /Are you coming now, mou hitori no boku/

A smile rose to Yami's face as the two of them entered the adjoined room. Immediately, they were flanked by a quite relieved looking Joey, and by a hysterically sobbing Tea. The latter embraced Yami tightly, as she continued to sob into his chest. He felt fairly uncomfortable, and turned to his aibou, wanting to ask his light for help, when he realized that Yugi and Joey had left him alone in the company of the girl. Helplessly, he tried to comfort Tea. He really couldn't cope with crying people.

Yugi, in the meantime, had joined Kaiba on the other side of the room, and the two of them began working on Kaiba's laptop. Yami supposed they were making up his personality and past. Yugi had been thinking about him needing a birth certificate, passport and various other things. He would have walked over to help, had Tea not succeeded in rooting him to the spot.

Then, Yami's eyes fell onto a different corner of the room. There, on a purple couch, sat Ryou Bakura and his own yami. The two of them talked vividly about something the ex-pharaoh couldn't make out. By watching the two of them, Yami got the suspicion that the tomb-robber had returned to his light out of the same reasons he himself had. The way the other yami towered over his hikari, all the while throwing possessive glances in various directions around them, and the way Yami Bakura's eyes shone when looking at Ryou. It was quite obvious to the ex-pharaoh. He wondered if the others had realized this as well.

"Yami-chan?" Tea was peering up at him with big blue eyes, trying to look cute as she flashed her eye-lashes. It might have worked, had Yami not yet met Yugi. In comparison to his little light, any attractiveness she might have possessed faded away.

"Yes, Tea." He answered, as his characteristic eyebrow rose. He was fond of the girl. She had always been a good friend to Yugi, and that's why he cared for her. She had been the only one who had been on his light's side from the very beginning.

"I was wondering…" She paused for a second, and looked around them. Yugi and Kaiba were still talking in front of the laptop. They had been joined by Ryou and his yami. Joey and Tristan were standing next to the buffet, piling food on their plates. "Could we talk alone for a second?"

"Is anything wrong, Tea?" Yami asked out of curiosity. He had sworn himself to help his aibou's friends as much as he could. He owed them a lot for always staying by his aibou's side. "Does something bother you?" He desperately hoped it didn't concern Tea's feelings for him. Yami knew that Yugi had had a soft spot for Tea once. There had been a time when Yugi had blushed every time he had seen the girl. He had stopped doing that quite a while a go, but Yami suspected that Yugi was still in love with Tea. There had been a time when Yugi had been really jealous of Tea's feelings for the ex-pharaoh. He had stopped showing it after some time, but Yami continued feeling the jealousy. This, in turn, provoked the ex-pharaoh's envy. He wanted Yugi to be jealous because of him. There had been a time when he had hoped Yugi was afraid of Yami returning Tea's feelings. He put it down to his imagination and wishful thinking after some time. Yugi probably just didn't want him and Tea to get together. His pure-hearted hikari would probably suffer a great deal, once his secret love had a boyfriend. Yami wouldn't stay in this realm long enough to really find out. If he didn't succeed in making Yugi fall in love with him in one month's time, he'd have to return to the afterlife. That had been the deal. Sadly, as long as Yugi was still in love with Tea, the little light wouldn't fall in love with him. Then, everything would have been in vain. No hope would be left for the ex-pharaoh.

"Well, there's something I've been meaning to tell you, Yami-chan." Tea said softly, and pulled him in the direction of the door. On their way outside, the two of them passed a table on which lay about ten keys, all of them leading to the different hotel-room Kaiba had booked them. Yami could see that they were double-bed-rooms. He really hoped he could spend the night in the same room as Yugi. He just had to make sure they took the keys with the same room-number.

**- To be continued -**

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**Please review!**

**Istas: **Maybe, you could tell me the Japanese names once more. I think I know most them but I'm never sure. That's why I use the English ones most of the time.

**Sansi: **Danke für den Willkommensgruß! Ich bin froh, dass ich nicht allzu viele Fehler mach, muss aber zugeben das Microsoft Word sehr praktisch ist, was Fehlerkorrektur angeht. Hoffentlich gefällt dir meine Geschichte weiterhin. Es ist schwierig auf Englisch zu schreiben, wenn alle um dich herum dauernd Deutsch sprechen, während du zu schreiben versuchst.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Because I Love You – Chapter 3**

**Author:** Erudit

**Warnings: **Shonen ai, Tea bashing

**Disclaimer:** I neither own McDonalds nor Burger King or any other labels mentioned in this chapter!

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_Blablabla_- Thoughts

/blablabla/- Yami and Yugi talking through mind link

"blablabla"- normal talking

blablabla- Translation of the Japanese words I'm using. (Hopefully correct)

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Sad amethyst eyes watched as Yami and Tea left the room. Yugi's heart clenched. She would probably tell him about her feelings. What would happen once the ex-pharaoh knew? Did he return the girl's feelings after all? Yugi hoped he didn't. It would break his heart to see the two of them together. But, on the other hand, he really wanted both of them to be happy. And who was he to deny them their happiness anyways? If it was meant to be, then they deserved to be together.

"Yuuuuuugi!" Ryou chirped, while waving his hand in front of Yugi's face to get back the attention of the fellow hikari. Ryou was in an exceptional good mood today. After all, his dark half had returned, and they seemed to be hitting off well for the first time. To tell the truth, Yugi had always suspected that there were some hidden feelings on both sides. The way Bakura always jumped in to help Ryou, and the way Ryou's eyes sparkled when mentioning his dark half…it had always been pretty obvious to him. Not that he'd tell them. Bakura would probably try to kill him if he did.

"Nani da? What is it?" Yugi asked softly, as his gaze left the door and returned to his friends.

"How about we make him an orphan? That way, we can say your grandfather adopted him. He could live with you until he is officially of age." Seto Kaiba suggested.

Yugi smiled. "That's a good idea." That way Yami would be staying close to him for at least another year, even if he was in love with somebody else. He looked back at the door once again, remembering how Yami's feelings for Tea had been a few weeks ago. Back then, so Yugi knew for sure, Yami had not been interested in her. He had actually sometimes been annoyed at her presence. But what if his feelings had changed? After all, their enemies were gone and Yami had found his memories. He had nothing to keep him occupied anymore. What if Yami now realized that he was in love with the girl?

"So." Kaiba announced after putting in the new information. "What grades do we want him to have had?"

Yugi thought about it for a few seconds. "Well. We should give him good grades, but not too good ones. Especially in math, as he didn't learn it back in ancient Egypt. That way, if he isn't good at it at first, nobody will suspect anything. I don't want the teachers to think he got through high school by cheating."

Kaiba nodded. "Very well."

They had just finished setting up Yami's record, when loud voices could be heard from the room next to them. Yugi looked up surprised. Yami usually wasn't one to raise his voice. When the ex-pharaoh got angry, he usually just used a harsh, cold voice, knowing fully well that his fierce crimson eyes did the rest. Nobody could hold Yami's gaze for long when he was angry. The flames that could be seen in his eyes seemed to jump out at you as if to devour you. Yugi shuddered at the thought of his angry dark half. He was glad that Yami had never before been angry at him. Yugi was sure he'd break down and cry once Yami looked at him that way. Luckily, the ex-pharaoh had a soft spot concerning Yugi. The little hikari could do practically everything without getting Yami mad.

"I've told you again and again! What else am I supposed to do? Hammer it into your head!" Yami yelled angrily. Yugi winced at how harsh Yami sounded, though he had no idea what they were arguing about. Shortly after, the door flew open, and a very steaming looking ex-pharaoh reentered their room. Yami walked past all of them, ignoring their questioning faces. He grabbed one of the keys, and left.

A silently crying Tea walked in. "Is he gone?" She asked between sobs. They nodded, still not understanding what had happened. She sighed relieved, and sank into a chair. "Yokatta!" Thank goodness!

"What happened, Tea?" Yugi wanted to know. He'd never seen his yami that angry at one of their friends.

"I don't know." Tea answered, as she stared off into empty space.

Yugi looked at her imploringly. When she said no more, he gave up, and decided to go find his dark half. Surely, Yami'd tell him what had happened. After all, his dark half told him everything. They had no secrets in front of each other.

"Room 201." Bakura told him when Yugi was looking for the right key. He smiled at Ryou's dark half thankfully, grabbed said key, and left the room to find his own yami.

_Why was Yami so upset? It almost looked as if Tea hurt his feelings. Or maybe she was talking bad about me?_ Yugi knew that Tea didn't like him as much anymore as she had when they had still been kids. And he had to confess that it was the same the other way around. Tea was jealous of him, as Yami was his dark half and therefore spending most of the time with him. Yugi had once pointed out to Tea that that didn't necessarily mean Yami cared more for him than for her, although he secretly hoped so, off course. Tea obviously hadn't believed it either, as she always tried to get his dark half to go out with her. At first Yugi had asked (or actually more or less forced) his dark half to accept Tea's various invitations. Yugi had had to see if Yami was at all interested in his friend. All the time he'd spied into his dark half's mind to see if Yami enjoyed her company. Yami had off course sensed his presence but luckily hadn't commented upon it. Yugi had often wondered why his dark half hadn't wanted to know. Had Yami been afraid of his answer? Or maybe Yami knew of Yugi's feelings, and just hadn't wanted to say anything because he didn't like Yugi that way?

Yugi sighed as he continued trying to find room number 201. Yugi had stopped asking Yami to go out with Tea as soon as he had been sure his dark half didn't like Tea that way. He'd been able to feel his dark half's annoyance. Yami had been quite relieved that he had stopped trying to be match-maker. In hopes of making it up to his Yami, he'd spent all the following evenings in their soul-room where he and Yami had talked about various things, and had played several games. Secretly Yugi hoped he and Yami would repeat those actions again once at home, but this time without needing to use their soul-rooms to both be real. He loved spending time with his dark half.

"Ah, here it is." Yugi mumbled, finally having found the right room. He opened the door carefully, somehow suddenly afraid of what he'd see. His head poked into the room to see his dark half standing in front of the window, looking outside.

"Y-yami?" He asked softly, afraid to disturb the ex-pharaoh. He really didn't want Yami to be mad at him.

"Hai, aibou?" His dark half's voice was soft as always. Yami turned around and their eyes met. "You're not mad at me, are you?" Yami asked hesitatingly, a notion that the ex-pharaoh hardly ever showed. Yami was usually quite sure of himself.

"Iie, of course not." Yugi smiled at his dark half reassuringly, and finally fully entered the room.

They were quiet. Too quiet for Yugi's liking. He didn't know what to say. To cover up his insecurity, he began looking around the room until he discovered the hotel menu. "Are you hungry?" He asked while picking up the menu and scanning through it. "We don't have to go downstairs, mou hitori no boku. We can just order something by room service." Yugi added when he saw the look on Yami's face. His dark half was probably tired. Or he just didn't want to meet Tea anymore.

Yugi flopped down on the double-bed, bounced up and down a little bit before settling down in a comfortable position, menu still clenched in his hand. "What do you want? Does pizza sound ok to you?" Yugi looked up at his dark half inquiringly. Said person was looking at him intently, seemingly lost in his own world.

"Yami?"

Crimson eyes blinked a few times before focusing on Yugi. Then, the crimson eyes widened slightly as a blush rose to Yami's cheeks. The ex-pharaoh turned away, facing the window once more.

"Anything you like will be ok, aibou." Yami stated, his voice sounding strangely hoarse.

Yugi frowned. "Are you alright, mou hitori no boku?" Yami blushing was certainly something new. His darkness was usually composed, not showing any signs of feelings, and most certainly never blushed. What had Yami been thinking about? Yugi began blushing as well as his thoughts drifted to things that he'd like to do to turn Yami's voice hoarse. He hastily pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. A hard-on was the last thing he needed in front of Yami. Also, he knew from experience that those thoughts expressed themselves in his dreams, and he wouldn't be able to ever face his yami again if he had a wet dream in their night of sharing a room.

"I'm fine, aibou; just a little bit hot." Yami went to open the window, all the while fanning himself fresh air.

Yugi frowned because of his dark half's behavior, as he began calling up the room-service, ordering two pizzas. Surely, somebody who'd lived in Egypt for almost his entire life, couldn't be hot at 89° Fahrenheit?

"Yami?" Yugi asked once he had hung up.

"Hai, aibou?" Yugi's dark half was still standing at the window, looking outside.

Yugi wondered what Yami was seeing, but he kept in mind what he had wanted to ask Yami about. "What happened between you and Tea? Why were you so angry?"

Yami sighed as he turned around to face Yugi once again. "She asked me out."

"Nani? And that's why you were so worked up? Don't you think you were overreacting a little bit? I mean, she won't be the only girl to ever ask you out. You can't always react like that."

Yami looked down unhappily. He was obviously not very pleased with what Yugi had said. "I'm sorry, Yugi. I didn't want to hurt Tea's feelings. She just doesn't know when to give up. Don't you think it was apparent that I don't like her that way?" The ex-pharaoh sighed again. "I've told her time and again that she'll never be more than a friend to me, but she simply doesn't believe me."

Yugi nodded understandingly. Tea could be quite bull-headed if she wanted to be. "Maybe it worked this time." He added hopefully. Once Tea was out of the way, he could try to find out what Yami's feelings concerning him were.

"Hai. Nozomuraku-wa. Hopefully" Atemu agreed, though he didn't sound as if he really believed it. Then, the ex-pharaoh smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he sat down on the bed as well. "How about we play a game, aibou, until that pizza of yours arrives?"

"Sure!" Yugi exclaimed, happily. He loved playing with his dark half.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Uuuwaaaaaaahhh!" Yugi yawned loudly, while stretching his arms. He could hear Yami's rich chuckle to his left. His dark half had gotten up almost an hour ago, and had since then attempted to convince Yugi to rise as well. Only now he had finally succeeded in his task, even though Yugi was still somewhat unwilling.

Yugi crawled out from under the covers and squinted at Yami sleepily, a pout forming on his lips. Then, Yugi proceeded to the bathroom to take a shower, hissing "cold, cold, cold" on his way and hopping from one foot to the next. Yami laughed again at his aibou's antics, and then decided to order breakfast for the two of them. He recalled how Yugi had ordered their food the evening before and imitated his hikari's actions.

When Yugi entered their room the next time, he was greeted by the delicious smell of hot chocolate, boiled eggs, warm bread, and some exotic spices he had never smelled before. He flashed his dark half a grateful smile, cooed a "thank you, Yami" and joined him at the table.

They had just finished eating breakfast and gotten dressed to go shopping for Yami's clothes with the money Kaiba had given Yugi, when Ryou knocked at their door. "Ohayo, guys!" the white-haired boy greeted them with a smile.

"Ohayo, Ryou!" Yugi responded just as cheerfully as Ryou; Yami simply nodded while buckling up his jacket. "What can we do for you?" Yugi wanted to know. "We were just about to go shopping. Oh, is it about the pjs I borrowed?" Yugi had asked Ryou for a pair of spare pajamas the evening before, as his own pajamas didn't fit his dark half and Ryou was the only one who was nearly the same size as Yami.

Ryou shook his head. "No, you can keep them as long as Yami needs them. I've enough of them with me to change them everyday. I suppose I was not really paying attention when I was packing." The white-haired hikari shrugged his shoulders and grinned sheepishly. "I usually don't take five of them with me, anyways."

Yugi laughed softly. "So, what brings you to our humble doorstep then?" He tried his best to imitate his dark half, which earned him a growl from Atemu. Yugi ignored it.

"Well, the guys thought it'd be great to visit the pyramids before flying back to Japan, and I was wondering if you were coming along." Ryou looked from Yugi to Yami expectantly.

"When did you plan to go?" Yugi wanted to know. He could feel his darkness' anxiousness to see his pyramids one more time before leaving.

"After lunch." Ryou told them. "Do you think you'll be back from your shopping spree by then?"

Yugi nodded confidently. "Sure. We'll meet you around two then?"

The white-haired hikari agreed with a smile, wished them to have fun, and skipped back to his room and his own yami. Even though their yamis had been arch-enemies, Yugi was Ryou's best friend, and Ryou loved having his best friend around. It put him in an exceptional good mood.

Yugi laughed at his friends disappearance, even Yami chuckled slightly, then the two of them locked the door to their room, and left for the big shopping mall, that was, at least according to their hotel, just a few blocks away.

"Yami?" Yugi wanted to know once they had left the hotel.

"Hai, aibou?"

Yugi stayed quiet after that for a while, not knowing what to say. Why had he ever even started saying something? "Oh, it's nothing. Forget it."

"Are you sure?" Yami wanted to know. "You know, you can tall me anything, aibou."

Yugi nodded.

They entered the big building, and stopped, overwhelmed by the sudden cold of the air-conditioning and by the people surrounding them, doing their every-day business. Yugi looked around for the right shop to buy Yami's clothes at, and then he dragged the taller boy into the closest store. Soon after, a giant heap of clothes was put on top of Yami's arms, and the former pharaoh found himself being pushed in the closest changing cubicle.

He began to try the clothes while Yugi continued looking for more. It was only when the little light was told that they weren't allowed to take more than three pieces in their cubicle that Yugi stopped searching for more, and instead waited for his darkness to find something he liked among the pile of clothes. Leather was a must; Yugi had chosen about ten different sets for Yami to try; he knew what the ex-pharaoh liked best, and what he looked best in. But there were also a few blue jeans and red shirts thrown in the mix. He'd even chosen what he thought were cute pajamas, though he feared Yami might not like them.

After some time (Yami had his difficulties with some of the clothes, and Yugi had had to help) Yami finally reappeared out of what he began to call the cubicle of doom. In his arms were several outfits that he'd liked, among them the cute pajamas that Yugi had fancied. The hikari smiled graciously, knowing that Yami had chosen the outfit simply to do him a favor, and took the chosen clothes to the cash desk. Paying for once didn't take long, and they soon exited the shop with four big bags in their hands.

Yugi looked at his watch; it was eleven o'clock. "We've still got some time to look for shoes. Come on, Yami. Maybe we'll find Dr. Martens. I've always liked those."

"Alright, aibou. But what in the name of Ra are dooog maaartins?" The pharaoh frowned confused.

Yugi giggled cutely. "You'll see, mou hitori no boku. Once we've found the right store that is." Yugi sighed in aggravation, and continued dragging his dark half through the entire shopping mall. Yami had almost given up hope, when they finally found what his little one was looking for.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Ah!" Yugi sighed as he fell backwards on the bed. They had just returned from their shopping trip, and Yami was still busy trying to fit all the bags into their wardrobe.

"I don't think I'll be able to get up anymore." Yugi whined. He was exhausted. They had been going up and down the mall another few times just to find a place to eat something at, after having found Yami some good pairs of shoes.

"You say it as if it was my fault." Yami chuckled, finally giving up on trying to stuff all the things into the small closet, and turning around to face his aibou. Yugi had his eyes closed, his breathing was labored, and his cheeks had a healthy red color to them.

"I was not the one who didn't want to eat at Burger King because he thought fast food was unhealthy." Yugi chided softly, his eyes opening slightly as he peeked up at his dark half.

Yami frowned. "Gomen nasai I'm sorry, aibou. If I had known that the only other place to get food at was McDonalds, then I wouldn't have asked you to keep looking." Yami shook his head disappointedly, and sat down next to the little hikari. "I would have thought people still knew how to make something else beside burgers."

Yugi rolled over, so that he lay right next to his dark half, and gazed at Atemu intently. "I hope you are not sad because of it, Yami-chan."

Atemu looked down at the hikari surprised, then smiled softly, and ruffled the young one's hair. "Of course not, aibou. Do not worry because of me." They were quiet after that, each of them lost in his own thoughts.

"Nanji? What time is it?" Yugi finally interrupted the silence and began looking around for his watch, which he had taken off before lying down.

Yami reached to the bedside-table, and picked up the item, he looked at it for a moment, before giving it to Yugi. "It's almost two o'clock, aibou. We should probably get ready."

"Oh!" Yugi sat up excitedly, and began running around the room, looking for things he and his dark half could wear. He stuffed his camera in his backpack, and kept going through his things in search for a bottle of water. Then he went to the fruit basket standing on one of the tables, and chose two, in his opinion nice-looking apples, in case one of them got hungry.

Yami watched his light's behavior amusedly. "I'm not a little kid, you know." He stated, trying to sound hurt. Yugi didn't even glance at his dark half. He was busy with rolling back up the ball of wool, which he wanted to take with him in case they ended up in a labyrinth and got lost.

"Yugi?" Atemu tried again. Still no response. The ex-pharaoh slowly got up, and went over to his light. "Aibou?" he inquired softly, as he knelt down next to the boy. "Is anything wrong, aibou?" When Yugi would not look at Atemu, the ex-pharaoh softly took Yugi's chin in his hand, and gently turned his face so that the boy was forced to look at him. There were tears gathered in Yugi's eyes, and the hikari was sniffing to keep himself from crying.

"Nani da? what is it?" Atemu probed gently, as he pulled the other in a hug. "What's wrong, little one?" he whispered, disappointed that it had taken him no longer than a day to make Yugi sad. "Did I do something wrong, aibou?"

"It's nothing." Yugi answered, his voice slightly wavering as he tried to sound as cheerful as usual.

Atemu could not be fooled. "Don't lie to me, aibou." A callused hand was raised to wipe away the tears. Yugi's eyes widened slightly as he realized what had given him away, and he hurriedly began rubbing his eyes dry.

/Aibou./ Atemu tried once again, but Yugi kept blocking him out.

"Stop it!" the ex-pharaoh yelled, his patience running thin, when Yugi picked up his bun of wool once again.

Wide, violet eyes were raised to meet crimson ones. Atemu felt immediately sorry, when he saw the hurt in the amethyst pools. Yugi's lower lip quivered, but the boy didn't cry. The wool fell out of his hands, as the young one continued staring at his dark half.

Atemu once again closed the gap between their bodies and enveloped Yugi in a strong hug.

"I feel so useless when I can't help you." Atemu whispered. "Please don't close yourself off from me."

Yugi sighed softly. "But it really is nothing, Yami-chan. I was just thinking about something, and it made me feel down. I'm sorry. I always let the stupidest things get to me." Yugi buried his head in Atemu's chest, and his hands gripped the rim of the ex-pharaoh's pants.

"It cannot have been stupid if you're upset about it, aibou." Atemu corrected gently. "Does it have something to do with the trip to the pyramids?"

Yugi shook his head almost immediately. "No. That's not it."

"Was it something I said, then?"

"No!" Yugi's head shot up, and his eyes locked with Atemu's. Honesty was written in them as clear as day.

Yugi fiddled with one of his buckles uncomfortably, and was just about to say something, when somebody knocked at their door. Atemu growled under his breath, and got up to answer.

Yugi closed his backpack, and joined his dark half at the door to keep Atemu from strangling Joey. "Let's go!" he chirped, and nudged Atemu out of the room.

/We'll talk about this when we get back./ Atemu stated. Yugi didn't answer because he was engaged in an argument with Joey, but the ex-pharaoh knew he'd heard.

The trio entered the entrance hall. Suddenly, a blur of brown, gold and purple crossed the room, and latched itself onto Yugi's arm.

_Malik._ The ex-pharaoh thought darkly, as he watched the Egyptian blonde talking animatedly with Yugi.

Ishizu looked at Atemu apologetically, and bowed. "He always gets bouncy when he's eaten sugar-cones." She explained on their way outside.

Ishizu might have succeeded in calming down the ex-pharaoh, had her brother not dragged Yami's hikari in the waiting bus at that moment. Much to the ex-pharaoh's annoyance, Malik sat down next to his aibou.

Grudgingly, Atemu sat down next to Mokuba, because the only other empty seat would have been next to Tea, and nothing could make him want to sit next to her.

Atemu could still feel Tea's eyes on him even after sitting down. Apparently, she had not given up hope. _Maybe I'm just being paranoid._ Atemu turned around, partially to look if his aibou was still alright and partially to see what Tea was doing. She was gazing at him intently through the window. _On the other hand, I am probably not. _Atemu sighed. He was a really lucky person, wasn't he? The one whose attention he sought was occupied by somebody else at the moment, and the one whom he had told several times already that he wasn't interested simlpy didn't give up.

Atemu spent the rest of the time in the bus thinking about ways to get accidentally rid of Tea. _Maybe I could bribe Bakura to kill her._ Atemu heard Yugi laugh at one of Malik's jokes, and his eyes darkened as he turned around to once again gaze at his beautiful aibou. _Or I could simply blame Malik._

Atemu was so lost in his thoughts and possible revenge on Malik, that he didn't even notice that their bus had stopped.

Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder, and Yugi's bell-like voice shook him out of his reflections. "Come on, Yami! We're here. The pyramids are waiting!" Said hikari achieved pulling Atemu out of his seat and into the hot, dry air before the ex-pharaoh could even blink.

Yugi seemed to have forgotten his previous sadness, as the young boy was jumping up and down next to his darkness in excitement. They were standing in front of the famous pyramids of Gizeh.

The pharaoh smiled at seeing once again his pyramids, and wrapped an arm around his aibou, partially to keep him from moving up and down and therefore hurting himself somehow, and partially because he wanted to share the overwhelming feeling of being home once again. When the first enthusiasm at seeing his forefathers´ graves had settled, Atemu began to notice how wonderful it felt to have Yugi so close by. Not even the desert heat could force him to loosen his grip on his aibou._ It's_ _perfect_, the ex-pharaoh purred in his mind, as he softly and inconspicuously pulled Yugi closer.

He was interrupted by Ryou who suggested they finally went to the entrance to ask for the next tour. An argument between Bakura and his hikari ensued. Bakura saw no need for a guide.

"Well, they won't allow us to enter the pyramids without one!" Ryou yelled at his dark half.

"No, I don't think they'll believe us if we tell them you were a grave-robber and Yami was a pharaoh once." Ryou continued reasoning.

In the end, Bakura gave in, there was nothing else he could have done, but the somewhat hidden smile on his face suggested he already had a plan to get rid of the guide.

They were told that the next tour would start in about an hour, and chose to spend the remaining time looking at the little shops that were situated all around the pyramids. As Yugi had gone of with Ryou, Bakura and Malik, Atemu had nothing else to do than joining Joey and Tristan, albeit reluctantly. He would have much rather spent his time with his hikari but Yugi seemed to not have heard the ex-pharaoh calling out for him.

The first thing Joey and Tristan wanted to look at was a burger stand to the far left of the many stands. _What a surprise!_ The ex-pharaoh thought dryly, and followed Yugi's, no correction: his friends. On the way to the very end of the shops, a glittering object caught Atemu's eyes, and he fell slowly behind as he came to a stop in front of one of the smaller stalls. There, on the counter, was lying a crystal pyramid which bent the light of the sun and had therefore been shining into Atemu's eyes.

"It's beautiful" the ex-pharaoh breathed, completely entranced by the object.

"Do you like it?" The man behind the counter asked softly, glad to have found somebody who seemed to admire his work. "I can engrave names, if that's what you wish."

Atemu looked up, his eyes shining lightly. "How much would it cost?"

"1000 Egyptian pounds. Or, if you have it in Dollars, 200 Dollars." The man told him. "Which name would you want me to engrave?"

"Yugi. Yugi Mutou." Atemu said, thinking about where he would be able to find Kaiba at. Atemu and the shop-keeper talked for a few minutes about what to put on the crystal pyramid. Then, the ex-pharaoh left in search for Seto Kaiba.

After a long and humiliating talk with the CEO, Atemu was finally able to return with the right amount of money to buy the pyramid as a present for his hikari. He didn't even want to think about what Kaiba would make him do once they were back in Japan.

Atemu had just succeeded in hiding the little parcel in his garments, when something suddenly jumped at him, and hugged him around the waist. Bright amethyst eyes, bending the light in their wake almost as much as the crystal had before, looked at him.

"Yugi!" The ex-pharaoh exclaimed, smiling lightly at his charge. "Nani da?"

"Well, the tour should start in a few minutes, Yami-chan. Come on, we should get going. Otherwise the tour will start without us."

"Now, we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" Atemu chuckled, and let himself be led by his hikari. They met Joey and Tristan on their way, and finally reached the meeting place in front of the tallest pyramids.

Bakura scowled at them. "What took you so long?" He asked impatiently. Before he could utter another word, though, he was dragged away by Ryou, who did his best to keep him at bay throughout their entire visit to the tombs.

They had to split up in pairs because the hallways were too small for more than two people to go next to each other. Atemu automatically stepped next to his aibou, growling at everybody who dared to look at Yugi.

"Are you alright, Yami?" Yugi asked worriedly, having heard his dark half's growling. Atemu assured his little one right away, and made certain that Yugi did not hear him when he growled at another person. Soon nobody dared stepping closer than ten feet to Atemu and his hikari, and although Yugi found it somewhat strange and didn't understand why the others seemed to fear them all of a sudden, the two of them had a great time in the pyramids. Atemu told Yugi stories about this place that he remembered, sometimes translated the hieroglyphs for his aibou, and wrapped his arms around the little one when Yugi got cold.

They exited the pyramid in a good mood, not even Malik's approaching Yugi and talking to him once again could spoil Atemu's elation at having spent some time with his aibou.

After having eaten a snack because some of them were almost starved to death (cough Joey cough), they returned to their tour bus. This time Atemu made sure he would be sitting next to his little one. Actually, he practically grabbed Yugi and hoisted him in an empty row when he got the chance. Yugi cast him a confused glance, but didn't really seem to mind.

Yugi fell asleep half on top of his yami after only five minutes.

-To be continued-

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thank you very much for waiting for sooo long! I hope you enjoyed this chapter nevertheless! I'll try to be faster next time, I promise.**

By the way, I don't really know anything about the Egyptian currency, so please bear with me. If anybody does know, though, please tell me so that I can make some corrections.

**Istas, darkharuangel22, catti-dono, HOPPY-SAN2345 ():** Thank you very much for your reviews!


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